Carrick: It’s Nice To Be Top Again

Manchester United went top of the table at the weekend following their victory over West Brom and Manchester City’s defeat to Swansea.

Seven of United’s remaining ten games are against bottom half of the table opposition, starting with second from bottom Wolves at the weekend. They’ve lost nine of the fourteen games they’ve played at home this season but Michael Carrick says we can’t take any game for granted.

“There is no hiding the fact that it is nice to be top of the league,” said Carrick. “This is a big week for us but I think we’ll be saying that for the rest of the season. “Wolves has been a tough place to go over the last few years. It has been hard for us down there, so we are not taking anything for granted. We are top of the league at the moment but we still have to pick up enough points between now and the end.”

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76 Comments

james21 well aware of Red Scot mate we’ve never got on he once called me a Glazier lover and plastic without knowing fuck all about me,wasn’t just your comment mate others were saying it,came across as a general statement making it sound like the only true fans are paying fans,sounded elitist

Costas hi mate think that’s to do with cost,Football has gone the same way as NHL hockey and the ave fan is getting priced out,it’s the prawn sandwich brigade who go because it’s cool.
Most of the tickets for the Calgary flames are bought by companies who use the tickets as perks the Saddledome is like a morgue i’m suspecting it’s becoming the same at OT
Making the grounds all seated has taken away from the atmosphere simple fact it’s no longer affordable for the working class fan who is the most passionate,replaced by yuppies,scenesters or whatever the fuck that group is called now.

Fans need to get their voices back! Even the boss has been calling for fans to get behind the team in the next stretch of home games, that should warrant a response from fans who LOVE Utd! We cant leave it all to the players PLAY YOUR PART! , then you can blame Carrick (joke).
20!!!!!!!!! The script is written.

Costas, well put mate. As a season ticket holder who makes the majority of games, I shout and chant my tits off everytime I’m in the ground. You could tell at the weekend the players loved it… Rejoicing when Pogba got a touch on the ball – although a few booed him initially, white pele being sung to Rooney as he was taking the pen. We need to be that 12th man on the pitch. It’s never nice hearing away support out-sing a 72,000+ United turn out. If you want to start a debate Costas, I’m in!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the club but don’t live relative to its location. Some people dutifully follow god, but can’t go visit him/her/it in person! It’s the one long distance relationship that works with following United, no matter where you are. No one can tell you how to support the club you love.

Hi again mate. Yeah, I think that’s where the root of the problem is. You can tell that the atmosphere has been getting more quiet as the years go by. It’s not only the case with our club, that I agree with. It’s not a case of United fans not being able to create a buzzing atmopshere. Imo we have the best away support in the land, so it’s just a case of who goes to the stadium. OT fans go to the stadium for multiple reasons. United fans that travel to see United away from home only have one goal in mind.

@ScholesForGoals

Cheers mate. I agree with you. I just wanted to make it clear that this isn’t me trying to pass judgment from my armchair. That wouldn’t be fair. I wish things were different and I could be at OT every week. But I can’t. The ones I really feel bad about, are the season ticket holders that try to get the crowd chanting, only for their efforts to get drowned by silence and opposition fans. Imo the subdued atmosphere is one of the reasons why the team’s results at OT haven’t been as good as last year.

But the atmopshere is something you tend to live with. On the other hand, it did bother me a bit that fans left OT 5 minutes before the end of the Bilbao game. We were 2-1 down at the time. It wasn’t the end of the world. The team needed the support. Maybe if Rafa was yelled at before the 3rd goal he wouldn’t have lost his focus.

Even to watch us going 6-1 to city at home, watching droves of people around me leaving was disgraceful. Stay till the end. Do I like seeing my team getting dicked at home? No, but what kind of supporter would it make me if I couldn’t suffer both the good times with the bad. People around me were leaving with 15 minutes to go on Sunday, imagine all the jubilations they missed out on when hearing Swansea went 1 up in the 83rd minute against the bitters. Anyway, I feel responsible for the deviation of topic, it’s obviously something quiet close to my heart. No disrespect to anyone, some i’ve seen at OT just need to place more emphasis in the word ‘support’.

matbw7
Hi mate. Yeh not that I would but it never even crossed my mind to boo him. The pressure on these young players must be immence. They see all that money, the glitz and glamour and fans rushing for players autographs surly must go to their heads. I fully believe that its time for Uefa and even Fifa to step in and do something about these parasitic Agents.

I can never understand fans leaving early unless they have young kids with them. When my Dad used to take me in the early 80′s we’d leave early just because he was worried about us getting crushed or even lost in the crowds. But with the habbit of Utd scoring late goals especially when we’re down or drawing I certainly wouldn’t want to pop out early. Some leave with 15 mins to go and that really is strange having paid for your ticket etc.

Gnite all you reds. Get behind your team. Signing off and hoping to be greeted in the morning by news of a Pogba deal. I know even Cedars can look good on you tube but here is a reminder of what the fuss is all about!

Costas
Hi my sarcastic Friend.
The stewards can be arsey, I got told off for apparently winding the Ajax fans up. I know I don’t have the best singing voice but to look over and see about 20 Dutch all pointing and laughing as the steward gave me a Bollocking was quite funny.
I asked a steward on Saturday why we get into trouble for chanting and singing. He said we stick to Premier League guidelines and also depends on the opposition. He denied the fact that most of our stewards are Everton fans( that has been said on here before.) He also said he was a Utd Fan but I suppose he would.
At away games the stewards don’t come near unless you’re standing in the walkways so they genrally leave us alone, although they do pull the home fans as was the case at Villa Park with one Villa fan who was getting tons of abuse throughout, he got far more as he was being told off. But he was only supporting his team which was fair enough and hats off to him.

On the booing of Pogba? Total disgrace. This lad didn’t grow up supporting United. His agent must take the majority of the blame. Trying to cash in on the lad, while there’s interest. I’ve no ill feeling against Pogba. He wants to play football. Not a huge crime, is it? I’d be more pissed off at Morrison. Local lad in all. Just a balloon head!

So wait James let me get this straight, you’re not allowed to stand and only allowed to briefly sing/chant anymore?? wtf no wonder the home atmosphere has taken a shit. I stand pretty much throughout Vikes games (NFL) and am loud as shit when we’re on defense and thats from my season tix on about the 45yrd line row 10 from the bottom so as you guys would say Im in the prawn sammy section but if any jackass told me to sit down I’d tell him where to stick it. No steward has ever hassled me or any of the other diehards around me either.

JC
Hi mate. Not as bad as that. If you stand up for a chant and then sit down after you’re normally ok its the persistant standing they get arsey about. If you also get over zellous with the away support which is just banter to me they get arsey like at the Ajax game. Their fans were a Block away from where I sit in East 2. I don’t really care to be honest I can take a Bollocking for the team. They don’t bother you for singing so long as you sit, I sing throughout the game and am up and down like a yoyo

The noise problems can depend on how many Members are around (Day Trippers is unfair) Some season ticket holders let family have their seats as well so you don’t always get the same groups of regular fans. Saturday was pretty good there was quite alot singing and chanting, lets not also forget the Away fans are season ticket holders and usually sing all the time so when you have a collection of say between 2 and 3 thousand singing its bound to carry.

Thanks for the insight. The only time I’ve been to OT was for a friendly game, so I had no idea what the stewards are like at Premier League games. The way you describe it, it’s too damn restricting. You can’t create much of an atmosphere by sitting down or by chanting once and then sitting down again. To be fair, the Premier League is often used as an example of how violence in football can be succesfully dealt with. But no need to supress fans like this. Look at the Bilbao fans. They were standing and getting noisy without causing any trouble.

Costas
Didn’t do that one but the stewards wouldn’t go near the Ajax fans. They lit up flares and nothing was done. I don’t mind as they were fantastic with their noise and songs its just like Utd away without the flares. They are ok until you stand persistantly.
If you fancy a game I’m sure Giggs12 can sort you out, I know its a long way to come though.

Wayne. Spot on mate. Silva looks fucked. Nasri is the lightweight little choker I always said he was. Thing is EVERY season there is a flavour of the month who perform from aug to dec. Like Bale, Van Der Vaart and Nasri BUT when the business end comes from Feb onwards they go missing. That’s where Fergies rotation policy pays dividends and our lads are always fresh for the run in. Vidic , Fletch and Ando who I don’t even include anyway aside we have practically a fully fit squad. That’s where our lads are different. At times early doors they may even flatter to deceive but you can put your mortgage on it when the REAL football starts nine times out of ten our lads do not go missing and produce the goods. Regarding last nights match goers mate you misconstrued it pal. Completely. Fuck me you were going before I was even born mate. As others have pointed out it was aimed at a specific poster. However it does annoy me when the atmosphere gets slagged by those that Don’t go. There are plebty that make a noise and it just gets a bit gauling when we are all tarred with the same brush. No offence meant at all pal.

Carrick has been top class this campaign and his balls into feet to the strikers are akin to Keanos short snappy passes. He is a class act. Both footed. Reads the play. Intelligent. Breaks up play. Feeds the attackers. Blocks. Intercepts. All with the minimum of fuss. Hugely under rated.

Taxi for CarBangPrick. Cunt.

As for Thursday I wanted to win this tournament but like wayne said last week the sooner we get out of this cup the better and get number 20 secured. That’s our bread and butter. Play a team that COULD get a result but certainly don’t risk key players.

Back to the crowd. Can I just stress that OT is not always quiet. For example it was buzzing on Sunday when news filtered through that Swansea had scored. I thinks its the same all over the prem. Look at Anfield, the bridge. The lane. Emirates. Pretty much much of a muchness. God a lot of the word much in that sentence. One thing I find bizarre is Sunday a lass was ejected for having a plastic bottle of Singa beer yet its ok to sit with a boiling hot cup of Bovril or coffee!